Elgin Fringe Festival making changes to open opportunities for local artists

Organizers of the Elgin Fringe Festival are changing how artists will be chosen for the event.

The festival, gearing up for its ninth year, is going from a first-come, first-serve model to a lottery system - an idea bandied about for the past couple of years.

"It just became more and more obvious to us that this was the perfect turn for Elgin Fringe to take," said Erin Rehberg, the festival's executive director.

She said many artists are more prepared to apply right at the deadline.

"While we love and frankly need our returning artists every year," Rehberg said, "by doing it first-come, first-serve, we might be missing out on someone who might be bringing something totally new and exciting to the festival."

Applications will be accepted through March 1.

The festival - which focuses on performing arts but can include almost any art form - has always divided applicants into three categories and will do so again for the lottery. Those categories are artists that self-identify as underrepresented, artists local to the area, and touring artists.

Each category will make up about a third of the artists that will perform at the festival if organizers get enough applications from each group.

Organizers are also looking to expand their pool of performers by establishing a new committee dedicated to fostering local, underrepresented artists.

The committee, called the Elgin Group, is led by Adrian Mesino. He's looking for two to four members interested in the performing arts and supporting BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or any artist who feels they need more access to resources.

"We're looking for people to not only do the legwork to seek out these artists and see what they need but also want to mentor and support them and act as a bridge between 'what the heck is a fringe festival' to being a successful part of the Elgin Fringe Festival," Rehberg said.

Applications for the committee can be found at elginfringefestival.com/elgin-group-committee.

The Elgin Cultural Arts Commission and Side Street Studios have pledged $3,000 each to form the committee. Members will be paid a stipend.

Rehberg said they would "love to have three different artists" this year from the new program, each of whom will be from Elgin or the immediate surrounding area.

"We hope this not only serves our audience but also gives these artists an opportunity to see that 'hey, now I know how to do a fringe,' and they can take their artwork on the road and work to develop what can be a really artistically and financially successful opportunity," Rehberg said.